FREE 4-WEEK TEMPLATE · PDF INCLUDED
Free 4-Week Beginner Plyometric Program for Baseball Pitchers
Plyometric work is not a contest to collect the most jumps. This four-week introduction uses small numbers of deliberate efforts. It is for an athlete who already handles basic strength and ordinary running without pain.
No email required · Healthy adults with pain-free basic squat, balance, and landing skills · By Pitch AI · 2026-09-07
Who this template is for
Adults only for this unsupervised-download audience; initial instruction still requires a qualified coach. Do not use during an injury, following surgery, or as a test of return-to-sport readiness.
Landing quality and repetition quality determine whether to continue. Higher boxes and added weight are not the progression here. The athlete first learns to stop, reset, and produce another controlled effort.
Your weekly framework
The days below are movable placeholders. A qualified coach should fit them around current throwing, other teams, and recovery. This template does not prescribe additional pitching counts or maximum-intent throwing.
| Day / window | Plan |
|---|---|
| Monday | Session A after the warm-up and before strength. |
| Tuesday–Wednesday | No added jump session; maintain the existing sport schedule. |
| Thursday | Session B, at least 48 hours after A. |
| Friday–Sunday | No make-up jumps. Prioritize recovery and scheduled competition. |
Session details
Before each session: 5–8 minutes of comfortable walking or jogging, marching, bodyweight squats, and easy rehearsal of the first exercise. Use a clear surface and equipment that fits the athlete.
Strength sets should finish with about 3 good repetitions still possible. Rest 60–120 seconds between ordinary sets and 2–3 minutes between explosive efforts. Stop earlier if speed, balance, or technique deteriorates. No lifting to failure or maximum-effort testing is required.
A · Vertical control
| Exercise / task | Dose / question | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Snap-down to athletic stance | 2 × 3 | Rise onto toes, then settle into a stable shallow squat; no drop from a box. |
| Small two-foot jump and stick | 3 × 3 | Land quietly, hold balance, then reset. |
B · Directional control
| Exercise / task | Dose / question | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Small forward jump and stick | 2 × 3 | Short distance; two-foot takeoff and landing. |
| Small lateral two-foot hop and stick | 2 × 3/side | Stay low and balanced; use a line, not an obstacle. |
Practice focus
Rest 15–30 seconds between individual jumps and 2 minutes between sets. These rest times and doses are deliberately modest coaching choices. Stop the session if you cannot hold a landing, pain appears, or technique deteriorates. Depth jumps, weighted jumps, and fatigue circuits are excluded.
Week-by-week progression
| Week | Decision |
|---|---|
| 1 | Coach demonstrates; use two sets of every drill. |
| 2 | Use the listed sets if every landing remains controlled. |
| 3 | Keep sets and height unchanged; aim for more consistent landings. |
| 4 | Repeat week 2 or reduce to one session if games or fatigue increase. |
The weeks are decision points, not deadlines. Repeat or reduce a week when recovery is poor. Exact doses here are original coaching examples, not a research-proven route to a certain velocity.
Keep a simple log
| Date | Work completed | Response / next-day notes |
|---|---|---|
| ________________ | ________________________ | ________________________ |
| ________________ | ________________________ | ________________________ |
| ________________ | ________________________ | ________________________ |
| ________________ | ________________________ | ________________________ |
Do not enter private medical details in shared team copies. Keep your personal log securely.
Common questions
Will jumping alone make me throw harder?
A jump is not a pitch. The plan practices a physical quality; transfer to throwing is not guaranteed.
Why not use a higher box?
Box height can reward tucking the legs rather than better jumping. This introduction does not need a box.
Evidence & source notes
These sources inform the principles, not a guarantee that this exact template produces an outcome. Coaching manuals are labeled separately from research. No proprietary program tables or illustrations have been reproduced.
- Haff & Triplett, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th ed. (2016)
Chapters 7, 17 and 18: youth training, resistance-program design, and plyometric-program design. Consulted from the supplied book; no program tables reproduced.